BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Alice, Ever After Books in Buffalo’s Parkside neighborhood has launched a new initiative that redefines how young readers can take home a book.
The program, Barter a Book, allows children to pick out a title from a curated red cart in the store, then “pay” using a non-monetary method listed on magnets displayed above the shelf.
Options include reading a poem aloud, doing a quick dance, sweeping the floor or paying what they can afford.
“We wanted to make a system that doesn’t require an exchange of money,” said Alex Nowicki, the bookshop manager. “There’s more value in face-to-face engagement and community building than just financial exchange. And we wanted to remove any barriers. Anybody who wants a book should be able to get a book.”
WATCH: 'It promotes literacy': Alice, Ever After Books lets kids barter for a book
The idea was inspired by The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a book the Alice, Ever After team read together this year. The story explores the idea of a gift economy where relationships, generosity, and reciprocity matter more than price tags.
Nowicki said the ultimate goal is to promote literacy by creating more access.
“Access to literacy promotes literacy,” she said. “If families or kids have access to something as simple as a book, it can help them develop in so many other ways, whether academically or just by walking in and connecting with someone in the store. That matters too.”
